Parents furious at isolation over uniform at Belvoir High School

Judith Hawkins

A school’s decision to begin putting students in isolation for not following new uniform rules has angered parents.

Belvoir High School introduced a new uniform policy for this academic year, sparking criticism from some parents who felt they were being put under more financial pressure.

And its latest move - to isolate students whose uniforms are deemed unacceptable - has reignited the dispute.

One parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said students were lined up in front of staff and those whose uniforms didn’t comply were separated from their peers and made to sit in the school hall.

They said: “My daughter said the room was very cold and it wasn’t pleasant. We were advised by the school, before the summer holidays, they’d be implementing a new uniform but Year 11s could continue to wear their existing uniform. The revised uniform guidelines have only been issued since September.”

The parent of another isolated pupil, who also didn’t want to be named, said: “They were put in a cold room and requests to put the heating on were ignored.

“Most parents would have bought clothing in the summer holidays and are now being expected to buy shoes again. No consideration is being given to financial constraints or any other factors.

“The message coming from the school is loud and clear - comply or leave.”

Acting headteacher Jane Gant said: “Following our GCSE results, placing us first in Leicestershire for attainment, and our ‘good’ Ofsted this summer, we strongly believe maintaining exemplary uniform standards reflects our high expectations in all aspects of school life.

“We’ve had great support from the vast majority of parents, many of whom have congratulated us on such a robust approach to school uniform.

“We’ve given information about the new uniform to parents and on the website, including exactly what was required for the start of the new academic year. On October 30 we wrote to parents explaining a small minority were still not wearing the correct footwear of leather or leather look shoes. A letter sent last month said that from November 16 students could be sent home or put in isolation with appropriate work if the correct uniform wasn’t worn. We encouraged parents to contact us so we could try to help.

“A small number were asked to work in the main hall on the morning of November 16, while parents were contacted to try and resolve any issues. The hall has heating which begins to work when the temperature drops below 21 degrees celsius.”